The bigger number for Maatta is Game No. 40, after which he'd credit toward arbitration or free agency. And no matter what, the point will be moot if he's one of Pittsburgh's best six defensemen, which he has been to this point. When Kris Letang returns, the team will have eight healthy blue liners, and the ultimate choice may be whether to play Maatta or frequent partner Robert Bortuzzo, who has also been good.

Letang, Rob Scuderi, Brooks Orpik and Paul Martin make up Pittsburgh's top two pairings when healthy. The bottom pair and extra spot would be filled out by some combo of Maatta, Bortuzzo, Matt Niskanen (whose name is currently a trade-rumor staple) and Deryk Engelland, who's the weakest of the four and currently splitting time at right wing.

Maybe Engelland splits time full-time. Maybe he's waived. Maybe Niskanen (and his $2.3 million cap hit) gets traded after all. But if the Penguins think Maatta is ready to help them win games, they should make it work and let the chips fall from there. The most careful route, from an asset management perspective, may not be the best.

Letang, according to the Tribune-Review, has endorsed Maatta behind closed doors. Orpik was more open on Monday: "For a kid his age, I've never seen a kid work as hard as him off the ice."

The basic case for keeping Maatta, projected as a two-way, top-four guy, is twofold: 1) Playing in the NHL will benefit him more than another year in the OHL. 2) He's ready to contribute more than other options for a win-now team. His statistics generally are in his favor; for example, Pittsburgh takes 51.9 percent of all even-strength shot attempts when he's on the ice—third-best among its defensemen. He's also passing the eye test, thanks to plays like this kick-pass against the Philadelphia Flyers:

And this stick tie-up against the Vancouver Canucks, after which he crashed the net and scored his first NHL goal (.GIF via @MikeDarnay):

So, yes, there are reasons to keep him around.

"(Heading back to juniors would) be disappointing, of course. But I don't want to think of it right now," Maatta said. "I just want to focus on my game and play my best game."